Electrical clamp



Aug. 5, 1969 c. R. HEDBx-:RG 3,459,397

ELECTRICAL CLAMP Filed March 17, 1967 United States Patent O 3,459,397 ELECTRICAL lCLAMP Carl Raymond Hedberg, Etters, Pa., assignor to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed Mar. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 624,020 Int. Cl. F161 3/10 U.S. Cl. 248-63 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention employs a simplified arrangement wherein the apparatus consists of only three parts, two of these parts being pivotally interconnected with one another, and a third part being adapted to be driven into place to lock the components in clamping position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electrical clamp for use in Stringing transmission lines. The clamp is supported from a standard cross-arm in the usual manner.

In the prior art, the device employed in Stringing transmission lines comprises a saddle member into which the cable is placed, whereupon a plate is positioned on top of the cable. Two U-bolts are employed for fastening the plate to the saddle member with the cable clamped therebetween. After the plate is fastened to the saddle member, the unit is positioned in a clevis-like member having a bolt placed in the bottom of the clevis for holding the unit in place. The entire assembly is then attached to an insulator by means of a bolt positioned in the top part of the clevis.

This type of prior art arrangement employs many separate parts thereby causing the arrangement to be rather complex and expensive in construction. Additionally, the the assembly of such prior 'art structures is time-consuming, and a certain amount of care is -required on the part of personnel assembling the apparatus in order to obtain the desired clamping effect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The electrical clamp of the present invention may be mounted in operative position on a cable in a minimum amount of time since it is only necessary to place the cable in proper position with respect to the body means, then to manually insert the locking means of the apparatus in its initial position, whereupon the lock-ing means can be driven home by a suitable impact tool to complete the assembly of the clamp on the cable. This operation can be carried out in a substantially foolproof manner eliminating the necessity of providing skilled personnel and to exercise great care in assembling the components of the apparatus.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel electrical clamp which can be applied quickly and easily in a substantially foolproof manner by relatively unskilled personnel, and further which employs fewer components than similar devices utilized in the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a front view of an electrical clamp according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. l looking in the direction of the arrows; and

3,459,397 Patented Aug. 5, 1969 ice DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the clamp of the present invention includes th-ree basic parts, namely, a body means indicated generally by reference numeral 10, a clamp means indicated generally `by Areference numeral 12, and a locking means indicated generally by reference numeral 14.

The body means includes a rear wall 20 which extends upwardly and is bifurcated to form the two spaced leg portions 22 and 24 having holes 26 and 2.8 formed therethrough respectively and aligned with one another. As seen most clearly in FIG. 2, this bifurcated end portion of the body means provides an attaching portion for securing the body means to a suitable Support means in the form of an insulator indicated by phantom line 30 of standard construction which in turn is bolted to a standard cross-arm. The insulator 30 is illustrated as being interconnected with the attaching portion of the body means by a nut and bolt assembly indicated by phantom line 32.

The body means includes a pair of spaced opposite side portions 40 and 42 as seen most clearly in FIG. l, these side portions serving to support pivot pins 44 and 46 in suitable holes formed in these side portions, these pivot pins extending inwardly into the opposite sides of the clamp means hereinafter described in more detail to pivotally support the clamp means with respect to the body means.

The side portions 40 and 42 extend laterally outwardly to form the portions 48 and 50 respectively, and as seen most clearly in FIG. 3, the upper surface of laterally extending portion S0 is provided with an arcuate recess 54 in the upper surface thereof adapted to receive an electrical conductor or cable indicated by reference character C. The upper surface of laterally extending portion 48 is provided with a similar recess whereby the cable C is supported by spaced cable receiving portions of arcuate configuration formed on the body means.

As seen -most clea-rly in FIG. 3, the body means is provided with a substantially at bottom surface 60 adapted to support the locking means hereinafter described, and a hole 62 is provided in the rear wall 20 of the body means adjacent to the bottom wall 60 for receiving a part of the locking means. An integral projection 64 is formed on the rear surface of the rear wall 20 for a purpose hereinafter described.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rear wall 20 at the lower portion thereof defines a forward surface 66 of curved configuration to provide a clearance with a portion of the clamp means, surface 66 in turn joining with a sloping stop surface 68.

The clamp means 12 includes a portion 70 fitting within the body means adjacent to the surface 66 thereof, this portion 70 of the clamp means having the pivot pins 44 and 46 extending into the opposite sides thereof for pivotally supporting the clamp means with respect to the body means.

The clamp means includes an upwardly extending portion 70 which tapers in cross section to a relatively narrow edge portion 74. The clamp means defines an internal arcuate surface 76 radapted to engage the outer surface of a cable to clamp the cable in place in engagement with the arcuate surface 76 of the clamp means and the arcuate surfaces of the portions 48 and 50 of the body means.

As seen most clearly in FIG. 3, the clamp means includes a surface 80- adapted to engage the forwardly facing surface 56 of the rear wall 20 of the body means. The clamp means also includes a sloping surface 82 adapted to engage the surface 68- of the body means to limit pivotal movement of the clamp means in one direction with respect to the body means.

The clamp means further includes an undersurface 84 having a notch 86 formed therein for a purpose hereinafter described.

The locking means 14 includes a substantially at undersurface 90 adapted to rest upon the flat bottom surface 60 of the body means. The locking means includes a surface 92 which is substantially parallel with the bottom surface 90 thereof surface 92 joining with a surface 94 disposed obliquely to surfaces 90 and 92 and forming a sloping wedge surface. Surface 94 has a notch 96 formed therein.

When it is desired to assemble the electrical clamp of the present invention upon a cable, the clamp is first positioned so that the cable rests in the arcuate recesses formed in the upper surfaces of portions 48 and 50 of the body means. The locking means 14 is then manually inserted into the position shown in FIG. 3, it being understood that the clamp means 12 may initially be pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction from that shown in FIG. 3 wherein the corner edge 98 of the clamp means may rest upon the bottom surface 60 of the body means.

After the locking means 14 has been manually inserted into the position shown in FIG. 3, the locking means is driven into the operative position shown in FIG. 2. In order to readily drive the locking means into the operative position shown in FIG. 2, a suitable explosive tool is employed wherein the tool is adapted to receive a shell which is tired to cause a rarn member to strike the locking means and move it into clamping position. A suitable tool for this purpose is sold under the name of Ampact Tools, a trademark of AMP Incorporated of Harrisburg, Pa. An example of the type of explosive tool employed for this purpose is shown for example in U.S. Patent No. 3,212,534.

As the locking means is driven into the operative position shown in FIG. 2, a portion of the tool employed therewith upsets a part 100 of the end of the locking means so that this end of the locking means is peened over in the final motion of driving the locking means into position. As seen in this figure of the drawings, the upset portion 100 is peened over behind the projection 64 in the body means thereby serving to hold the locking means in the operative position shown.

As the locking means moves from the position shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 2, it is apparent that the sloping wedge surface 94 of the locking means will engage the undersurface 84 of the clamp means and pivot the clamp means in a clockwise direction as seen in the drawings to move the clamp means into operative clamping position. The notches 86 and 96 formed on the clamp means and the locking means respectively will become interengaged with one another as seen in FIG. 2 thereby serving to hold the clamp means and locking means in the operative clamping relationship illustrated in FIG. 2.

It will `be noted as seen in FIG. 2 that clockwise movement of the clamp means causes the surface 82 of the clamp means to engage surface 68 of the body means, and the surface 80 of the clamp means moves into engagement with the forwardly facing surface 56 of the rear wall of the body means.

Since the upper portion of the clamp means moves into contact with the body means when the clamp means is pivoted under the influence of the locking means, added pressure of the electrical clamp is applied to the cable associated therewith.

The electrical clamp of the present invention may be secured to a suitable insulator by the attaching means thereof either before or after the transmission line has been operatively clamped within the electrical clamp.

It is apparent from the foregoing that there is provided according to the present invention a new and novel electrical clamp which may be applied quickly and easily to a cable in a substantially foolproof manner by relatively unskilled personnel, and further which employs a minimum of parts thereby reducing the complexity and expense of the device.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

I claim:

1. An electrical clamp comprising a relatively rigid body means including an attaching portion for securing the body means to a suitable support means, said body means including a cable engaging portion for engaging an electrical cable, clamp means movably supported by said body means and including a cable engaging portion, and locking means for reception to lit tightly between and in engagement with parts of said body means and said clamp means for holding the clamp means in position to clamp an electrical cable between said clamp means and said body means, and cooperating holding means on said clamp means and said locking means for holding the locking means in operative position to hold the clamp means in clamping position.

2. An electrical clamp comprising a relatively rigid body means including an attaching portion for securing the body means to a suitable support means, said body means including a cable engaging portion for engaging an electrical cable, clamp means movably supported by said body means and including a cable engaging portion, and locking means for reception to fit tightly between and in engagement with parts of said body means and said clamp means for holding the clamp means in position to clamp an electrical cable between said clamp means and said body means, said body means includes a pair of spaced opposite side portions, each of said side portions defining an arcuate cable engaging portion, said body means including a substantially fiat bottom surface for supporting said locking means, the body means having a hole formed therein adjacent said bottom surface for receiving a part of said locking means.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said body means includes a hole at one side thereof for receiving a part of said locking means, said body means having a projection thereon adjacent said hole, said locking means having an upset portion when in operative locking position in engagement with said projection to hold the locking means in operative position.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a pair of pivot pins each of which is supported by one of said side portions of the body means, said pivot pins also engaging opposite sides of said clamp means to mount the clamp means for pivotal movement with respect to said body means.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said locking means includes a bottom surface for engaging the bottom surface formed on said body means, said locking means also including a surface disposed opposite to the bottom surface thereof and disposed at an oblique angle thereto to define a sloping wedge surface for engaging a surface on said clamp means to pivot the clamp means into clamping position upon relative movement of the locking means with respect to the clamp means and body means.

3,459,397 5 6 6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said clamp References Cited means and said locking means are provided with co- UNITED STATES PATENTS operating notches interengageable with one another when the locking means is in operative position to hold the 1,376,614 5/ 1921 Foster 24--126 X locking means in such position, 5 1,927,449 9/ 1933 AbelS 24--126 X 7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein one end 2,775,422 12/ 1956 Von Herbulis 248--63 of said locking means also includes an upset portion, 3,155,354 11/ 1964 Llndsey 248--63 said body means having a portion thereon adjacent said hole therein in engagement with said upset portion for CHANCELLOR E' HARRIS Primary Exammer additionally retaining the locking means in operative 10 U S CL XR. position. 24-126 

